Fish and Chips Facts

Celebrating over 150 years of being a Great British institution, here are some 127 facts about Fish & Chips which have helped keep it the Nation’s favourite for so long.

For the health conscious, there are plenty of reasons to chose Fish & Chips rather than fast food like Pizza, Kebabs and Burgers, check out facts 3, 4, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 39, 126 & 127 to see what we mean.

1 The UK has an estimated 10,500 fish and chip shops.

2 On any Friday, one in five takeaways are from the chippy.

3 They have a third fewer calories than other popular takeaways.

4 A portion contains 30 per cent of a female’s recommended daily calorie intake and 23 per cent for a man.

5 Lancastrians claim the first chip shop – John Lees in Mossley, near Manchester in 1863.

6 Cockneys beg to differ, pointing to Joseph Malin’s shop set up in Cleveland Street in London’s East End in 1860.

7 In 1838 Charles Dickens wrote about fried fish warehouses in Oliver Twist. The warehouses were forerunners to the fish and chip shop.

8 In Dickensian Britain, fish weren’t served with chips but bread or baked potatoes.

9 They were sold cold by street vendors at a penny a portion from trays hung around the vendors’ necks.

10 The first Jewish cookbook, published in the UK in 1846, included a recipe for fried fish.

11 Portions were originally fried in beef dripping; in parts of Yorkshire, this is still preferred.

12 A variety of oils is now used to cook them.

13 Carbon dioxide in beer batter results in a lighter texture as well as an orange colour.

14 The UK fish and chip market is now worth £1.2bn.

15 An estimated 229 million portions of fried fish are sold every year.

16 More than 277 million portions of chips are also sold annually.

17 More than half the UK adult population visits a fish and chip shop at least once a month.

18 In the early 20th century, a portion of fish and chips with mushy peas at 6d added vital protein and vitamins to the usual diet of bread, dripping, tea and condensed milk.

19 So essential did the dish become to ordinary men and women that one shop in Bradford had to employ a doorman to control the queue at busy times during 1931.

20 The Territorial Army prepared for battle on fish and chips provided in special catering tents erected at training camps in the 1930s.

21 Its importance meant it was the only takeaway food not rationed during the Second World War.

91 An NHS study revealed that by 2004 an estimated 22 per cent of all Scottish fish and chip shops offered deep-fried Mars bar.

92 The Carron Fish Bar, Stonehaven, Scotland, made the delicacy a reality.

93 Average sales in Scotland peaked at between 50 and 200 bars sold per week in some restaurants, with a national average of 23.

94 The first fish conflict occurred between 1 September and 12 November 1958, followed Iceland’s expansion of its exclusive fishing zone from four to 12 nautical miles – which was duly ignored by British trawlers.

95 The second, between 1 September 1972 and 8 November 1973, followed Iceland’s expansion of the zone to 50 nautical miles.

96 The third and most intense conflict occurred between November 1975 and June 1976, when Iceland expanded it to 200 nautical miles.

98 The fish can live up to 20 years and grow up to lengths of 2m and more.

99 The world record, set in 1895 by a trawler off Massachusetts, US, is 211lb, or 95.7kg, fo the largest Haddock
100 The largest fish and chip shop in the world is reputedly Harry Ramsden’s in Guiseley, West Yorkshire.

101 Haddock can reach sizes of up to 1.1m in length.

102 The fish also contains a healthy amount of heart-friendly omega-3 fatty acids though less than other fish like salmon.

105 Haddock is also a healthier source of protein than beef. Both are 18 per cent protein but haddock contains about a quarter of the calories.

106 The word batter comes from the French word battre which means to beat, a reference to beating or whisking in batter preparation.

107 Batter typically comprises flour, eggs and one or more liquids, including milk, water and oil.

108 Some variants use beer, with English ale popular.

109 The mechanical potato peeler was invented and refined by US crisp seller Herman Lay in the 1920s.

110 Prices are kept as low as possible because fish and chip shops keep their menus simple, allowing bulk purchasing.

111 Mabbutt of Manchester began in 1880 with a single employee building fish frying ranges. By 1910, it employed 150 people building and repairing frying machines.

112 By 1913 Acme Engineering in Leeds was dedicated solely to building and selling fish frying ranges for fish and chip shops.

113 In Preston in 1932 there was one fish and chip shop for every 697 people.

114 In Halifax in 1927 the figure was 557 people per shop.

115 There is a dedicated online community for fish and chip shop lovers – chippy-chat.co.uk

116 The machine used for peeling potatoes in the chip shop is called a rumbler.

117 Vinegar in fish and chip shops tastes different from anywhere else as the majority use a secret recipe.

118 The England deaf rugby team has a fish and chip shop as its official caterer.

119 The Red Arrows had a fish and chip supper delivered to their end-of-season party.

120 Fish and chips came top of two surveys as a national icon, beating the Queen, Princess Diana and the Beatles.

121 In a further survey, fish and chips beat bacon for the UK’s favourite smell.

122 Walker’s created fish and chip flavour crisps last year.

123 Such is celebrity chef Brian Turner’s love of the dish he has a chip fork made of silver always with him.

124 Tom Parker Bowles, son of Camilla, was a former judge in the Seafish industry authority fish and chip shop of the year competition.

125 The latest modern fish frying technology is pioneered by the Dutch.

126 Fish and chips have 42 per cent less fat than a doner kebab and a third less than a Whopper Meal.

127 An average portion of battered haddock and chips has fewer calories, saturated fat and salt than a cheese and tomato pizza.

Customer Comments

“I pass three other chip shops from where I live to get to Barton’s Fish and Chips because they are the best I have ever tasted, and in true Yorkshire style give value for money – I won’t go anywhere else. Even better now as they are opening in Foxwood” –

Mr. Baker, Foxwood.

“The quality and value is outstanding, these are the best I have tasted anywhere. You’ve tried the rest now try THE BEST!”

Mrs. Leslie

“What more can I say? The portion sizes are very good, the fish is of the highest quality and the taste is just superb. The Meal Deals offer true value for money.”

Mrs. Bell

“I drive 10 miles to go to Bartons for fish and chips as I will not go anywhere else. They beat all other fish and chip shops by a country mile”